Chris Parks · Stage 8: Thinking dominant

A Charlie Parker Idea: Thirds with a Triplet

Episode 31 · 8:04 · On YouTube · In the lesson player

Chris shows a device he learned in Barry’s class that comes from Charlie Parker: descending scale thirds where each first note gets a quick triplet with the scale note above. He works it in A flat on guitar, shows where it fits on the I chord and a II-V, and suggests moving it through keys by fourths.

Step by step

0:34Play the A flat major scale in thirds, up and then down.
1:13Keep it between the 3rd and 8th frets, in two fingerings of the A flat scale.
2:01Bird’s device: a triplet on each note with the scale note above (A flat, B flat, A flat), then down a third to F; continue down the scale.
2:42Try it going up the scale as well.
3:38Use it on the I chord in A flat, or on the II-V, B flat minor 7 to E flat 7.
4:20You don’t need the whole run; one or two of them in a phrase is enough.
4:54Practise it through keys in fourths, next in D flat, first learning that key’s thirds.
7:18If it’s new to you, start in a key you’re comfortable with.

Chords and notes in this video

Tap a time to jump to it in the video.

Line2:01

A♭
B♭
A♭
F

Barry’s own words on this

8.9 Bird’s devices 6.9 Triplets in lines (eighth- and sixteenth-note)3.1 The raw materials 14.2 Every key, every degree, every way

In the course

Move it in fourths Know it everywhere on the guitar Charlie Parker’s thirds with a triplet

Transcript

0:00Hello and welcome to episode 31 of Things I’ve Learned from Barry Harris. And this one is going to be slightly different because, I mean, I learned it in Barry’s class, but it’s definitely something that comes directly from Charlie Parker. It’s just an idea of a thing you can do while soloing. And it’s basically doing descending thirds.
0:34So if we have, if we’ll take for instance in the key of A flat, let’s just say for argument’s sake, we’ll start on A flat and we’ll come down a third. So when we do it ascending, we’ll do it this way. So a third is basically play a note, skip the next scale note, play the next note. So there’s our first third. Second. Keep going. There’s our thirds. And we’ll do them descending this time.
1:13Now for this for guitar player I actually use probably this much of the fretboard. So from the third fret to the eighth fret. So it’s really if you were thinking about how sometimes people think about positions, it’s your A-flat major scale starting with your second finger, and then also your A-flat major scale starting with your first finger. So that’s kind of the way I look at it. It’s this much space of the guitar, at least for this instance. So again, backwards is this.
2:01So now, Charlie Parker does an interesting thing. He doesn’t just play, he plays a triplet he plays a triplet with the first note. And the triplet is going to be with whatever scale note is above it. So in the key of A flat, it’s A flat to B flat. And then you’re going to go down to the third. So you go down from the third of A flat, which is F. So if we did that down the whole scale, it would be this. Now this one, I need the triplet above it, so I have to come above it.
2:42And there we are in that second position. That’s why I said that before. So here we have it. Now you can even do it going up. So now if we did it going down.
3:38Sounds really pretty. Now where would you use it? So if we were playing in the key of A flat, and we’re playing on the I chord, just an idea. Or if we’re playing on the II chord, like in this instance a Bbm7 to Eb7, which is kind kind of the one I did before, but they both sound good. Or...
4:20And that was just using just a couple of them instead of just using, or even you could just use one. That’s a nice one. So that’s just a little tiny thing that you can use. Now, the tricky part for guitar is that’s A-flat major. So the very next one that you should do is, if you want to see them,
4:54I practice things in fourths, because as a guitar player, obviously, if you see it in A-flat, and if we moved it up to A, we got it. If we move it up to B-flat, we have it, because we just looked at that fingering. So that fingering as a guitar player just shifts. That’s the dirty little secret of guitar players that horn players don’t really know, except a few horn players know it. But the next one I would do is in D-flat. So I would take D-flat and I would practice the D-flat major scale. with the same idea. So first maybe learn your thirds.
5:50And then work your, oh sorry, sorry. See, I really need to work on D-flat. This is a nice phrase. all little different ideas for just that one little Charlie Parker idea he uses in a lot of beautiful places and I’m sure people who know Charlie Parker’s playing recognize that right away
6:46Now again, I have no idea if he came up with that, if he learned that from a classical book, if he learned that from Lester Young or Coleman Hawkins. I have no idea. But I’m just saying that’s where I know it from, from Bird playing beautiful phrases on it. I think he plays on his master take of My Little Suede Shoes. He has a bunch of those that he throws in. but anyway I thought I would make more little ideas like this
7:18because some people have been saying that some of the episodes are a little too advanced for them and I’m going to make still I’ll still be making some advanced episodes like that but I also want to make some more medium episodes for people that are just kind of learning or you could see it takes them a while to see on their instrument so if I were in that position, I would take this scale that we’re working on and just play it in whatever key I’m comfortable with first and just practice playing those thirds with the triplets descending. Okay, so I hope you enjoyed it. Practice, practice. Until next time. Thanks.